If you've read Pillars of the Earth, then just wait a good long time before you read World Without End. If you haven't read Pillars, don't even think about reading this book until you've accomplished that. World Without End seemed to be just a reproduction of Pillars, minus the suspense and redeeming characters. Which is why I suggest waiting to read this if you've just read Pillars, because whether it's fair to compare them or not, you invariably will. It's kind of like if Steinbeck had decided to write a 2nd Grapes of Wrath, using the same story lines, just plugging in different characters. Would it be as good? Probably not.

I did enjoy the parts where Caris was learning about medicine and disease. It's just mind-boggling what the priests and monks of the time believed about disease. So glad I didn't live back then.